Took the Orange line into downtown Chicago the other day and it was an interesting experience. The…read moreOrange line is connected to Midway Airport which is convenient. The turnstile takes NFC payments making it a breeze to pay. I did hear on the loudspeaker a staff requesting a passenger to pay and that they were on video?!? The ride into Chicago downtown was surprisingly jerky. Signage at the platform indicating the next train was misleading as it changed at the last minute. Standing for the duration of the ride was challenging due to the jerky braking and the jerky acceleration...maybe it's cultural?

I love a great rail system, and this is a great rail system…read more The station is very clean, the employees present at ticketing are very kind, the directions to obtain tickets were clear and consise. The train that we boarded was very clean, and comfy. I highly recommend this mode of transportation while visiting ChiTown.

My husband and I took the L train during our weeklong stay in Chicago. Belmont is an above ground…read moretrain station where the Red, Brown, and Purple lines run. It's a nice train station that is situated in an energetic, walkable neighborhood. We had spent the afternoon exploring Lakeview, and were heading back to our hotel near Michigan Ave. We caught the Red line from here and got back to River East. Clean station and well-monitored. Chicago has a great public transportation train system.

I mean... seating is limited at virtually all El stations. However, for one that has the space, and…read morethree lines running through it, seating for more than four persons per direction would be welcome. Also, overhead heating is opposite the benches, and thus also very limited. Otherwise, Belmont is great! It is extremely well lit, easy to navigate, wider than the average El station, and fully accessible. There is sufficient cover from rain, and ample signage on upcoming departures/wait times. Now, while as many of its colleagues, it too could benefit from an extremely thorough pressure washing, the station is generally clean and void of debris. Finally, while I don't frequent Belmont after midnight, the times I've been here during the day or late evening, I've not encountered any unsavory characters. Thus, while not immune from some problems and quirks, Belmont is one of the better stations on the El.

Nice stop for Wicker Park shops. There's a diagonal street, Milwaukee, so you get 6 corners, 3…read morestreets converging and going on opposite directions. This place can be crowded. So be forewarned.

CTA at Damen is known as the hipster station around here. It gets the yuppies along the Blue Line…read morethrough Wicker Park. One of the oldest stations still in operation, with the station made mostly of wood. Good views of the neighborhood from up here and it doesn't smell bad with the fresh air. There's often delays, which is the only bad thing. Hipsters catch the train here. It serves the Blue Line. There's a shitload of bars and restaurants. Always busy. Lots of Instagramming motherfuckers. As for the station, it's a classic. This is my most favorite other than the Quincy station. Both have old wood paneling. There's actually a charm about it, which you can't say about most stations. Lots of places around here to drink and eat. There's a Stan's Donuts right next to here. Busy intersection. There's lots of buses to hop on. Because trains are coming here from O'Hare, there's often delays. It's the biggest complaint about it. There's lots to check out in and around this if waiting.

Station is great but not perfect. I like how this station is built double sided and not too narrow,…read morebut I do suggest maybe clean the station more often. Kinda dirty.

I must say, I am pleasantly surprised…read more Before this trip I had only taken the Orange line a few stops, usually in the Loop to catch a Brown line train. This morning however I took it to catch my flight to Midway. Why was I impressed? The train was clean (relatively speaking), b.o. free, and it didn't hit any notable slow zones. It was fairly empty when I rode it, but I think that's because all sensible people were in bed getting some shut eye. I reserve the right to change my opinion in the future, I mean it is the CTA and all. This ride could've been an anomaly. We'll see how I feel on my return ride home.

Arrived in downtown…read more.. Riding the Harlem train on the Green line was a nice short and simple ride to Adam's/Wabash station where it's nice as you don't need a city pass or a ticket to ride just a credit card. Getting in and off the platform is simple using stairs or elevator is so quick and easy and getting to our destination took just minutes and is a wonderful mode of transportation that I would totally recommend when visiting the city of Chicago. Thank you!

Needed to get back to the airport. Didn't want to make our daughter drive back and forth from UIC…read moreto U Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry back to UIC and back and forth to Midway. You get the idea. UBER was $50+. LYFT was $60+. And lots of traffic delays. How about the L? A six minute walk from the hotel to the CTA Adams/Wabash station. A Good Samaritan helped me with my bags up the stairs. Watch the monitors. The train was a couple of minutes early. Tap your card. It was just $2.50 per person and the orange line goes directly to Midway. This is the last stop on the line. Plus, we got there at least 15 minutes earlier than the UBER/Lyft ETA. There is Hope. Interesting to see the suicide & crisis lifeline information at the station. Call, chat or text 988 if you need help. A shocking murder-suicide in Houston earlier this week, this sign really made me think. On this Mother's Day, hug your mom, your children, your grandparents a little tighter.

This station is an excellent location for anything downtown Oak Park (cinema, dining, shopping,…read moredining, more dining - great little restaurants all over). The only downside is once on the platform, there is little shelter from the biting winter wind, or a blowing rain. The actual station at street level is small but does provide shelter and has a monitor showing train ETAs.

Dirty, dingy, and all sorts of rachet…read more Living a block away, I take the CTA green line into the city every couple weeks, and every time I'm disgusted by the condition of the Harlem stop. I've always thought "this is Oak Park (land of money), WHY does this place look like the bus station from Total Recall?" Then I put 2 and 2 together: end-of-the-line stop.....conductor kicks all the hobos off the train......hobos take up residency on benches. Well, that explains the distinctive hobo smell. But what about the badly-crumbling stairs going up and down? There really is no excuse for that. Commuter safety concern, hello! Oh, and the two Ventra ticket-issuing machines are MAJOR finicky when it comes to swiping your plastic. Way too many times I've stood there for what feels like an hour, desperately trying to complete a credit/debit card transaction, and getting rejected 80% of the time. Sure, I could carry cash and avoid the problem altogether, but that's not how I roll. I thrive on making things more difficult than they need to be. The convenience mart on the ground level is halfway decent and staffed by some friendly folks. Other than that, this 'L' station is the pits. Blecch.

I give the employees a very high mark - what they have to put up with is insane. No way could I…read morework on the Green Line without getting fired! I have noticed that whenever I take it, there is a huge percentage of people who IGNORE any and all rules because they don't believe in rules, except when they want something. They CONSTANTY are smoking on platforms. Eating CHEEKIN' wings and then leaving the crap on the floor for others to pick up. Eating cheep and getting their greasy fingers on everything - hence the reason I try and touch NOTHING with my bare hands on the train. They listen to their "SAIL" phones on speaker so the world has to hear both sides of a pointless and annoying conversation. Mostly grunting - few actual words. Then they start FACE TIMING - as if a cell phone could not get more annoying, someone had to invent this crap! Then there are those who feel compelled to smoke weed on the train. Leaving that CRAPPY SKUNK stank to linger. Pot USED TO SMELL GOOD, NOW IT SMELLS LIKE CRAP!! I despise the passenger, but the employees do a pretty good job!

CTA has a stop on Wellington that gets total ass busy. It really gets crazy at rush hour, so forget…read moreit. Lots of trains coming through but no room. Blame it on the hipsters. They be fucking things all up. A lot of stops all together around here. It serves the Brown and Purple Lines. This is between the Diversey and Belmont stops. Literally a few blocks away. This makes the trains go slower. It's a waste mostly and there's not much use for it. There's not that much farther to go if you aren't lazy. Has the Illinois Masonic Hospital. It's why this stop exists, if you're interested. There's still no need for this many stops together.

This stop was very clean and well-maintained when I came here. There were multiple turnstiles to…read moreuse just in case it got busy. Unfortunately, I didn't have my pass so I had to get a new one. I like how this stop was brightly lit unlike some stops. I would have to affirm the other reviews and say that there was no homeless people here or anyone loitering around which made the experience positive.